Abstract

This research studied the growth and colonization of roots by mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal fungi in asparagus(A sparaguso fficinalis L.) during a three months period. 200 g mixed fungal inoculum incorporated into sterilized organic soil before transplanting 2-week-old asparagus seedlings. Growth parameters used were height that taken every 10"' days after planting (DAP) while biomass, roots dry weight, fresh shoot and root weights and percentage of mycorrhizal colonization were taken every month. Application of mycorrhiza inoculum into unautoclaved soil to test the effect of interaction
formed towards growth performance.I n this experiment,3 6 pots of asparaguse xamined with four treatments applied: control (autoclaved soil), without mycorrhiza (unautoclaved soil), with mycorrhiza (unautoclaved soil) and with mycorrhiza (autoclaved soil). The most effective treatment found in this research was the treatment with mycorrhiza alone. The resultso btainedi ndicatedt he dependenceo f Asparaguso fficinalis L. on mycorrhizal symbiosis. Innoculation with mycorrhiza significantly improved more effective in the growth performance of Asparagus officinalis L. The height growth increased significantly by 51.8% after only three months while the biomass increased by 238.5%. Treatment with the interaction between other microbial and mycorrhiza existed in the soil performed less effective by increased only 22.7% in plant height and only showed 133.3% of increment in biomass. Root biomass of mycorrhizal plants increased by 528.6% and it was 328.6% more effective than mycorrhiza inoculated plants in non nonsterile
soil. Overall fresh plant weight of mycorrhizal plants increased by 286.6% and it was 132.3% greater than mycorrhiza inoculated plants in non-sterile soil. The better growth responseso f mycorrhizal plantsw ere attributedt o improvementi n nutrient uptake, especially phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. Mycorrhiza inoculation had high potential in agriculture as a biofertilizer